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If you went down to the church that day you were sure of a big surprise!

18/07/2018 Administrator Leave a comment

For outside we gathered (on July 8) for a Teddy Bears’ – and all sorts of cuddly friends’ – picnic. While they sat and made friends, we spoke about how we can tell our teddies all of our innermost secrets, confess what we have done wrong and know that they will always love us, a bit like God! As we get older, we learn more and our view of our teddy changes. As we grow up, our view of God changes too. We have opportunities to grow in our spiritual commitment and come closer to the Lord. Our choir sang the ‘Gloria’ – you can see them in the picture – and sang hymns and had a lovely time together. We finished off with non-alcoholic ‘Pimms’ and cakes.

Maxine Everitt

St Mark's Church

Emily – the ‘Most Original Entry’

09/07/2018 Administrator Leave a comment

Hale Carnival was a joyful community affair with a happy, celebratory atmosphere which England’s win in the World Cup quarter-finals certainly enhanced. St Mark’s had its bunting up as well as a large rainbow banner as a reminder of God’s welcoming, inclusive love which is far greater than we can imagine. And we also had Emily!

Emily the replica organ was the St Mark’s entry into the carnival procession, created by Dave and Helena Walker and Frances and Paul Whewell. They also entered her into the Farnham Castle the previous Saturday where they won silver in the adults and individuals category. In the Hale Carnival they not only took home second prize they also won ‘Most Original Entry’.

Thank-you Dave, Helena, Frances and Paul for your creativity and dedication!

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Leadership, News Releases, St George's Church, St John's Church, St Mark's Church

Ministry team grows again

27/06/2018 Administrator 2 Comments

The ministry team in the parish has grown again. With the licensing of Wendy and Craig as Licensed Lay Ministers (LLMs) last Saturday the team has grown to three full-time clergy, three LLMs and two retired clergy who still conduct services, preach and carry out pastoral work in the parish.

Wendy Edwards and Craig Nobbs were both licensed to the parish by the Bishop of Guildford, the Right Rev’d Andrew Watson in a service at St Paul’s, Dorking.

Wendy, the daughter of renowned local journalists Ted Parratt and the late Jean Parratt, started her training in Southwark, but returned to her childhood home of Farnham in 2017, following her mother’s death the previous year, and continued her training with the Diocese of Guildford.

“I returned to the church in 2007 after a very difficult time in my life, and I felt a calling to ministry but it was too early,” she said. “The feeling came again at the end of 2013 and I started exploring it and began my training in 2014. Licensed Lay Ministry is a preaching and teaching ministry in a pastoral context and I will have a particular funeral ministry. In my previous job I worked as a chartered legal executive specialising in wills and probate. I always supported people around the time of deaths in the family through the legal side and felt a call to support them through ministry.”

Wendy will be particularly attached to St John’s, Hale, the church she chose to go to when she returned to Farnham, in part because she had been a bridesmaid there twice in the late 1960s.

Craig Nobbs was already an LLM when he moved to Farnham 18 months ago but was licensed to another parish and wanted to continue his ministry in his new home. He has been relicensed to the Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale and his ministry will mostly be at St George’s, Badshot Lea.

Speaking after the service Craig said: “The service was out of this world and an affirmation of what I am doing in the parish. This parish is one with a big heart. During the licensing service I was conscious of waves of love from both the parish and from God himself. What kept going through my mind was a line ‘Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven’ (from the hymn Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven), as that has been my experience.”

Craig’s ministry will mostly be at the weekend as he works full-time in London as a Whitehall civil servant taking a lead in educational policy.

Lesley Crawley added: “We are delighted and blessed to have both Wendy and Craig with us and look forward to their continuing ministry as the parish grows and seeks to express the love of God in our community”.